Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) is gearing up for yet another summer of exciting, rigorous professional development institutes. For many teachers, this opportunity has been granted thanks to the sponsorships of several partners that provide scholarships for the institutes. This year, the CASE scholarship program awarded 34 partial scholarships to cover CASE Institute registration fees The scholarship sponsors were CF Industries, Dow AgroSciences, and Red Brand, all as special projects of the National FFA Foundation.

Teachers applied for Institute scholarships in February through the CASE website. CASE received 136 scholarship applications. For Jessica Helsinger, agriculture teacher who divides her time between Newton High School and Covington High School in Piqua, Ohio, her CASE scholarship has provided an opportunity otherwise not possible.

“I definitely have more support from my administration about attending the CASE Institute, thanks to the scholarship,” said Helsinger.

This is the second year Helsinger has received a CASE Scholarship. Last year, she attended the CASE AFNR Institute in Indianapolis. This year, she will attend the CASE Plant Science Institute at Kansas State University. Her decision to apply for a scholarship in 2015 was the result of the positive impact her CASE training last summer made in her classroom this year.

“My students are learning at higher levels than ever before. They are comfortable with the curriculum and are more willing to participate and ask questions,” she said.

Helsinger hopes that her plant science training this summer will give her more resources to develop her plant science curriculum. She looks forward to seeing her students achieve at a higher level and experience hands-on learning they can apply in real life.

Interested in applying for a CASE scholarship next year? Applications will be available online beginning February 2016. Check the CASE website for more information and to stay up-to-date on the latest opportunities with CASE!